Ruca was our first of three visits for the day and unfortunately this was our 'express tasting'…read more And I say unfortunately because I would've loved to have spent more time here. The wines were *chefs kiss*. Very light and packed with flavor and freshness. They were even running a special; buy two bottles get one free. Talk about come up. The property is absolutely stunning. Driving through the grounds on the way in reminded me in was in Mendoza. Breathtaking. We sat outside on a windy morning mid March making it a bit chilly. This is an awarded Michelin star and it shows. The staff were welcoming and friendly and spoke fluent English making us feel right at home.

Absolutely fantastic! We had the tasting menu with a different wine paired with each course. The…read morepieced de resistance was a huge piece of filet mignon--see photo--done perfectly. As was all the other food. We were so stuffed by the time we got to dessert that we asked if we could wander around the vineyard before tackling it. "Of course." In fact we noted that another table had done the same. Visited in November, 2019, just before Covid.

Septima pissed me off beyond repair. First, they wouldn't serve lunch outisde. So when I opted not…read moreto eat and just drink instead, they had no qualms about bringing me out a glass, a bottle of wine and a bucket of ice. What's the difference? If you're going to go that far, give me the full dining experience. Second, before I committed to a bottle, the server let me try a Malbec from a glass somebody already drank from. The lip stain on the glass was a clear indicator. Aside from that BS, the views are spectacular, but so are the views from many other regions in the vineyard. I buy this wine all the time at home but this experience is making me think twice about where I direct my business.

View is good. But everything else sucks - especially the service. We are siting here for 1+ hour…read morewith no food service. The owner apparently is siting on the table next to us, enjoying a 6-Course lunch with one of the other guests. But got Ben we order EM the 2-course lunch, we are still waiting for ANY food to show up at our table despite enquiringly for it for 75mins. Please don't bother showing up here

This winery is so worth it! During the tour we learned that…read morethe owners decided to plant the same grape in different terroirs. (Malbec, of course) It was so interesting to see the difference in taste. I personally loved the wine grown in high altitude. Absolutely loved the experience. They also offer a membership and free shipping to the US. Oh but the views! That's where it's at! Stunning!

From the owner: Matervini Winery was created in 2008 by the winemakers Santiago Achaval and Roberto Cipresso…read more Matervini explores the diverse geologies of the Pre-Cordillera through Malbec, the best translator of terroir, obtaining a variety of wines with different and original personalities. Matervini wines were rapidly recognized by wine journalists as being among the best in Argentina. Our wines can be purchased only at the winery or through the Wine Club. Free shipping to USA. Worldwide shipping.

This was our last stop on our wine tour and was the first time I've ever been on a wine tour where…read moreyou actually did the tasting as you walked. I wasn't a huge fan of this. It was very quick, maybe 20 minutes or so? She gave us a quick tour of the storage and processing facilities as well as a quick step into the basement to look at aging areas. We then went upstairs to a conference room with the view of the Andes for the last tasting. Not really your typical tasting, for sure.

Casarena was the perfect spot for my final wine tasting experience in the Mendoza region. Casarena…read moreoriginated in 1937. The vineyards and winery are a century old and are now American owned. The owner fully renovated and brought new life back into the winery while keeping its historic past intact. I like how they maintained the skeleton of the old production building and recreated the space and updated it using state of the art winery technology innovations. Caserena is one of four vineyard estates. Each estate offers different geological and geographical differences. This provides diverse growing influences for the grapes, thus yielding amazing wines of the same varietal with unique nuances and flavor profiles. On the wine tour, they showed us the different climate and soil mixes for each estate. Fascinating! When touring the wineries of Mendoza it is necessary to book a reservation in advance. They don't take walk-ins like in the states. In Argentina from my experience, the wine culture is about providing an inclusive experience. Most tours start with a walk through the vineyards, a tour through the production facility, and then ends in a tasting room or if they have a restaurant, with a wine-paired lunch. Winery visits can at a minimum last 1 1/2 hours. It's time to slow down life here and enjoy. Take it all in. We found it ideal to visit only 2 wineries in a day as a result. At Casarena, like the other wineries, you first need to check in with the gate guard. My limited Spanish came in very handy here. They confirm your reservation with the tasting room manager and then they allow you to pass through the gate. The guard will then direct you where to park and meet for the start of your tour. At Casarena we met with our lovely lady tour guide. She poured us a glass of Rose to enjoy outside while we waited for other members of the group. Like all the other wineries. The view of the Andes mountains behind the rows of vines is stunning. The tour was very informative. We went through the vines and production facility. We got to peek into the old wine vats that they turned into a cellar for their wine library. They let me hold one of the largest bottles that they make!! Man that bottle was heavy. Definitely took some muscle to pick that up. After our tour, we walked to their restaurant at the back of the building for our wine-paired lunch. The restaurant is located in a beautiful modern building with all glass windows. Every table had a stunning view of the vineyard and mountains. The windows opened up onto their outdoor patio so you had an indoor-outdoor dining experience. The chef was busily cooking the meat on a BBQ right in front of us. They recently hired a new chef here, and this was their first tasting of their spring seasonal menu. It was a six-course lunch paired with wine. The food and wine here were incredible. The portions were larger than expected. The pairings were spot on. The food was artfully plated. Their wine was well structured. There wasn't anything I didn't like. We had an incredible time at Casarena. Delicious food and wine experience.

Una de mis bodegas y experiencias gastronómicas preferidas en Mendoza!…read more One of my favorites wine cellar & gastronomic experience in Mendoza!

Susanna Balbo was a generous vineyard. We tasted 4 wines here as opposed to the standard 3 at the…read moreother vineyards in the region. That said, they charge $410 for the tasting, which is almost double what the other vineyards charge. Carol was an excellent hostess, offering detailed explanations of each of the wines and dictating the order of consumption. She also speaks great English. We tried a Sauvignon blanc, a Malbec and two different blends. I left with a bottle of the Nosotros (Malbec and Cab Franc blend) which I intend to hold onto for a very special occasion.

Almorzamos aquí cuando estaba Azafrán. Comimos muy rico y la vista es hermosa desde la terraza!…read more We had lunch here when Azafrán was on. We ate very well and the view from the terrace is beautiful!

We did do the degustation lunch. We had the five courses. Although everything was good and…read moresomethings were not as good as others. The price is probably about 150 Argentinian pesos too high. They started with a platter full of focaccia and their in-house pressed all of oil which was very strong and had great flavor. They also brought a small dish of green and black olives. The chefs choice starter was a thin slice of pate de foie gras. It had the right amount of cream to cut the strong flavor of the foie and was served with a sun-dried tomatoes bread and some drizzle of reduced balsamic vinegar. It was very delicious. Next we had empanadas and the octopus app. Both very, very tasty. The empanadas were a little over cooked on the bottom just a little too brown, but they had a really great tasting though with plenty of fat in it and a salad salsa criolla. The octopus was very light with yellow lentils and a tasty pepper sauce. Next we had the bondiola - basically a pork shoulder steak which was lightly barbecued and unfortunately not worthy of a degustation. Strangely enough after 3 1/2 weeks of eating beef I still ordered the beef tenderloin. Glad that I did. It was perfectly cooked and approximately 6 ounces with a dollop of a garlic aïoli, three dollops of a mushroom reduction, a wine reduction that I could have consumed by the spoonful and a corn purée which was good but not great. Next was the cheese course which was an age 3, another one I cannot remember and a delicious blue. It was served with about a teaspoon and a half of a cinnamon spiced honey, some reasons I will not half and a quarter of a fresh fig. The desserts were a tiramisu which was semi frozen and an sautéed apples stuffed crêpe which was amazing. The group was so delicate and yet had some Christmas on the outside and the Apple filling was perfectly balanced with tartness and sweetness. We were served five wines with the lunch. The first was a Pinot Noir, the second semillon, the third a grand reserve malbec with grapes harvested here at the bodega, fourth a late harvest wine which was nearly as good as the Inniskillen ice wines from Canada I've had in the past, and the last was a sparkling wine made with 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay I believe. It had a tinge of golden hue to it from having been in contact with the Pinot Noir grape skins during the pressing. We stayed here four nights and very much enjoyed all aspects of this winery. The people are fantastically amazing and helpful. So even though the degustation was a little bit overpriced I still give this place five stars.

Had the 5 course menu at Fogon with wine pairing. The food was tasty and the wines were of good…read morequality. We enjoyed the experience very much.

A classic winery to visit in Mendoza. It's one of the popular ones in the region. Very cute for a…read moretasting, lunch, and day trip away from the city. The winery is beautiful! Literally stunning. The aesthetics are so pleasing to the eye. The staff are also very present and attentive to your needs. The food was spectacular and probably the best steak I had while in Argentina. I highly recommend this winery as a tour or on your own. Either way you won't be disappointed.

I visited the Catena Zapata restaurant for a tasting and lunch. This Michelin star rated…read moreestablishment is worth all the hype. They have a preselected menu and you get to choose the various wines (by packages) that you want to taste. They range from ~$80 - $2000 per person. Service was absolutely fantastic, exactly what you would expect from one of the top rated wineries in the world. Top notch and so knowledgeable of the family history, various regions, the terrain and all the varietals you are experiencing. The restaurant itself is built in a 2019 version of an old Italian villa, pebble Roads and strong looking towers and buildings. Gorgeous for pictures. If you are looking for a luxury experience and taste, definitely book yourself for a tasting at Catena Zapata.

I had the most amazing time at Catena, doing a tasting and tour of the winery and dinner at their…read morerestaurant. We were treated so well and tasted some terrific wines, finishing with a glass of bubbly on the top of the Pyramid. I even had a special request which my tour guide (the amazing Flavia!) happily helped out with, making our visit that much more special. Come to Catena if you want stunning views, great service and world-class wine.